Saints waste big lead, rally to topple Bucs
P.J. Williams intercepted Tom Brady and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:24 left, helping New Orleans seal a dramatic but potentially costly 36-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday during which Saints QB Jameis Winston injured his left knee.
Winston was injured during a scramble early in the second quarter when he was pulled down from behind by Devin White, who was flagged for a horse collar.
“I think it’s significant,” coach Sean Payton said. “He felt something and is on crutches right now. … When he got up and then had to go back down, you were a little concerned.”
Backup Trevor Siemian took over for Winston and completed 16 of 29 throws for 159 yards and a touchdown without a turnover, leading the Saints on five scoring drives that produced two touchdowns and three field goals.
Brady passed for four TDS, but also turned the ball over three times on a pair of interceptions and a fumble, which the Saints converted into 16 points.
The Bucs nearly overcame their mistakes, wiping out a 16-point second-half deficit, taking a lead with 5:44 to go when Cyril Grayson was left uncovered behind the defense and scored a 50-yard TD.
New Orleans responded by driving for a field goal for a 29-27 lead with 1:41 left, leaving Brady, who is no stranger to late comebacks, that much time plus a timeout to win the game. Instead, the Saints’ defense came up big.
Steelers 15, Browns 10: Ben Roethlisberger handed Cleveland yet another loss as Pittsburgh survived losing kicker Chris Boswell for the entire second half.
Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass and rookie Najee Harris had an 8-yard TD run after halftime for the Steelers, who were handicapped by Boswell suffering a concussion on a blown trick play.
The Browns had plenty of chances, but wide receiver Jarvis Landry had a costly fumble and then couldn’t handle two passes from Baker Mayfield in the final 6:04.
Eagles 44, Lions 6: Boston Scott and Jordan Howard each had two touchdowns on the ground, helping Philadelphia run over winless Detroit.
The Eagles ended a two-game losing streak against a team that was very accommodating.
The Lions go into their bye week as the NFL’S only winless team. The break gives first-year coach Dan Campbell extra time to figure out how to avoid leading the league’s first 0-17 team after being a tight end on the first 0-16 team in Detroit 13 years ago.
Rams 38, Texans 22: Matthew Stafford threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters, and the Rams dominated the inept Texans.
It’s the fourth straight victory for the Rams and the seventh loss in a row for the Texans, their longest skid since dropping the final 14 games of the 2013 season.
Stafford threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with 9+ minutes left in the third, lifting Los Angeles to a 31-0 lead.
Kupp caught seven balls for 115 yards and Darrell Henderson had 90 yards rushing and two TDS, one on the ground and one on a 3-yard reception in the first quarter.
Titans 34, Colts 31 (OT): Randy Bullock made a 44-yard field goal with 4:03 left in overtime, lifting Tennessee to the wild road win and control
of the AFC South.
The teams combined for two touchdowns in the final 86 seconds of regulation. Colts quarterback Carson Wentz threw two interceptions in the final 7+ minutes after throwing only one all season.
Wentz passed for 231 yards and three TDS, but he was picked off by Kevin Byard with 5:48 left in overtime — setting up Bullock’s winning field goal.
Panthers 19, Falcons 13: Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals and Chuba Hubbard scored on a 6-yard run with 6+ minutes remaining, helping the Panthers stop a four-game skid.
Carolina’s defense totally stuffed Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who managed just 213 yards total offense.
Ryan had one of the worst games of his career, throwing for just 146 yards with two interceptions.
49ers 33, Bears 22: Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 322 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak.
Garoppolo led three touchdown drives in the second half and another possession that ended with a field goal. He scored from the 2 in the third quarter and ran it in from the 5 in the fourth to make it 30-22.
Deebo Samuel had six catches for 171 yards. That gave him 819 through seven games, breaking Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s club record of 781 set in 1986.
Seahawks 31, Jaguars 7: Geno Smith ran for one score and threw a pair of touchdown passes to DK Metcalf, and Seattle snapped a three-game losing skid by thumping Jacksonville.
In what may be his final start while Russell Wilson recovers from finger surgery, Smith was terrific picking apart the Jaguars defense for one of the best performances of his career. Smith completed his first 14 passes, the longest streak to start a game in the NFL this season. He finished 20 of 24 for 195 yards, and his 83.3% completion percentage was a career best.
Broncos 17, Washington 10: Justin Simmons and Denver’s defense held firm after a fumble gave Washington the ball back, and the Broncos blocked two field goals on their way to a win Sunday that stopped a four-game slide.
Melvin Gordon III caught a TD pass and ran for the go-ahead score from 7 yards out with 4:31 remaining. He also fumbled with 21 seconds to go, giving Washington the ball at the Denver 24-yard line. The defense forced Taylor Heinicke to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone on the last play of the game.